Scott Higgins Week 10- Presenting and saying farewell!
Well everyone, here we are. The last post. Week 10! I just finished my last day at the lab and am writing this in a word document on the train home. I was so nervous during the past week because this coding project actually ended up being quite difficult with the skills I have. My post-doc and the PI were eager to help on our lab messaging platform, Slack, but it was intimidating at first to send a question in a group chat with the actual head of this computational science lab when I had just started coding a few weeks ago. But once I was eventually pushed off the ledge, I realized that they didn’t think I was some coding prodigy and they knew my skillset, which was extremely comforting. It takes a lot of trial and error, or at least it did for me, and researching what exactly to type to produce your result. At first, I was under the impression that everyone at this lab has the entire Python coding language memorized inside out and backwards, which made me feel a little weird when I had to look something up. But my post-doc was extremely reassuring in letting me know that no one holds all of the answers in their head and it’s totally okay to ask for help or seek answers with the incredible resources on the internet. One resource I loved is called stackoverflow.com, essentially a forum for developers and coders to ask/answer questions. So long story longer, I had to first figure out how to code one random number, then make it either a zero or a one, then code it to be 355 values long, then code it to ensure that 8% of those values were ones. When I finally did I showed my mom, took a screenshot, printed it, and hung it on the fridge. It was a shining moment for me in all honesty.
This presentation was also starting to get to me a little bit as well. I am at least 7 years younger than the next youngest person in the lab based off of my estimate. People went to grad school for this, devote their lives to this, and I have to get up and present to them?! Especially this coding project that they could most likely do with their eyes closed and hands behind their back, I was nervous about how it would come across. Also, I was in charge of presenting the two proposals we had worked on, which was also a huge responsibility. Along with this, I also had to introduce myself, Peddie, EXP, what I was doing to prepare. So this was no short presentation, and I took this opportunity on willingly because I knew I would like the challenge. I felt it would be such a waste if I denied it, and I knew that I have applied myself all summer, and that’s really what I wanted to get across to the lab members.
Also: a little sidebar, I am obsessed with making PowerPoints. I love making the thème, picking the color scheme, orchestrating elaborate transitions, but at TLab, everyone’s presentation is default! All white with black arial font. It makes sense, they are really just updating their colleagues on their work, it doesn’t have to have Superbowl Halftime Show production value. It was just weird making a powerpoint with no thème. Anyway, back to the story…
I put together my presentation, and go in to the lab at 8 AM on the day of my presentation, which means I got up at 5:45 to make sure that I could practice on the big screen and that I was concise, articulate, and knew what I was talking about. Lab meeting didn’t start until 12:30, so I was able to run through my 30 minute presentation roughly 6 times, factoring in edits, other tasks, etc. But then, the clock struck 12:29, and people started filing in. My post-doc gave me a little introduction, and then the floor was mine! I have talked about the lab meeting dynamic in past blog posts, but it is really nothing intimidating or scary. Everyone there is present to help each other, so I would say I wasn’t feeling intimidated. But just a tad nervous because the only people in the lab that really knew who I was, why I was there, etc., were my post doc and the PI. There are many more people in the lab that I had seen in meetings and chatted with, but this was essentially my first (and last) scientific impression on them. I worked through my presentation, and it went great! I was so proud of myself for doing it, and people hugged me goodbye, which really made me realize how much I was going to miss this place, and these people! The PI wanted to talk through some things before I left, so him, my post-doc, and myself all went to his office. I got another two-on-one coding tutorial to code the Tanimoto coefficient on Python! It was an incredible opportunity, and something I am so grateful for. We hugged and then I talked with my post-doc one on one for a good hour, chatting about college, life in science, and much much more. We hugged and I took my final elevator ride from the 20th floor to the ground, hopped on the A train downtown, and let that day, and the past 10.5 weeks sink in. Although it certainly was not what I had expected, I learned so much and got priceless information/experience. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
This presentation was also starting to get to me a little bit as well. I am at least 7 years younger than the next youngest person in the lab based off of my estimate. People went to grad school for this, devote their lives to this, and I have to get up and present to them?! Especially this coding project that they could most likely do with their eyes closed and hands behind their back, I was nervous about how it would come across. Also, I was in charge of presenting the two proposals we had worked on, which was also a huge responsibility. Along with this, I also had to introduce myself, Peddie, EXP, what I was doing to prepare. So this was no short presentation, and I took this opportunity on willingly because I knew I would like the challenge. I felt it would be such a waste if I denied it, and I knew that I have applied myself all summer, and that’s really what I wanted to get across to the lab members.
Also: a little sidebar, I am obsessed with making PowerPoints. I love making the thème, picking the color scheme, orchestrating elaborate transitions, but at TLab, everyone’s presentation is default! All white with black arial font. It makes sense, they are really just updating their colleagues on their work, it doesn’t have to have Superbowl Halftime Show production value. It was just weird making a powerpoint with no thème. Anyway, back to the story…
I put together my presentation, and go in to the lab at 8 AM on the day of my presentation, which means I got up at 5:45 to make sure that I could practice on the big screen and that I was concise, articulate, and knew what I was talking about. Lab meeting didn’t start until 12:30, so I was able to run through my 30 minute presentation roughly 6 times, factoring in edits, other tasks, etc. But then, the clock struck 12:29, and people started filing in. My post-doc gave me a little introduction, and then the floor was mine! I have talked about the lab meeting dynamic in past blog posts, but it is really nothing intimidating or scary. Everyone there is present to help each other, so I would say I wasn’t feeling intimidated. But just a tad nervous because the only people in the lab that really knew who I was, why I was there, etc., were my post doc and the PI. There are many more people in the lab that I had seen in meetings and chatted with, but this was essentially my first (and last) scientific impression on them. I worked through my presentation, and it went great! I was so proud of myself for doing it, and people hugged me goodbye, which really made me realize how much I was going to miss this place, and these people! The PI wanted to talk through some things before I left, so him, my post-doc, and myself all went to his office. I got another two-on-one coding tutorial to code the Tanimoto coefficient on Python! It was an incredible opportunity, and something I am so grateful for. We hugged and then I talked with my post-doc one on one for a good hour, chatting about college, life in science, and much much more. We hugged and I took my final elevator ride from the 20th floor to the ground, hopped on the A train downtown, and let that day, and the past 10.5 weeks sink in. Although it certainly was not what I had expected, I learned so much and got priceless information/experience. This was truly a once in a lifetime opportunity.
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